She was one of only a handful of Indonesian women authors to be published at all during the colonial period, alongside Fatimah Hasan Delais, Saadah Alim, Soewarsih Djojopoespito and a few others.

After graduation in 1921 she studied at a school for female teachers in Padang Panjang, and by age sixteen she had been published in local newspapers such as Pandji Poestaka.

[7] Published by the state-owned Balai Pustaka, the novel was reportedly inspired by her fiancé marrying another woman and followed two childhood friends who fall in love but are unable to be together.

[12] The Indonesian literary critic Zuber Usman wrote that, unlike most contemporary novels, Sariamin's early works Kalau Tak Untung and Pengaruh Keadaan did not deal with intergenerational conflict or contrasting traditional and modern values.

He notes that, in contrast to earlier novels like Sitti Nurbaya (1923) by Marah Rusli, Sariamin's works did not center around rich children in nuclear families.

He draws parallels between Pengaruh Keadaan and the Western folk tale "Cinderella", noting that the main characters of both stories are self-sacrificing but ultimately receive a reward.

[6] The writer Juliette Koning classifies Selasih's Kalau Tak Untung as part of a "coherent body of work representing the thoughts of educated, urban, indigenous women" together with Hamidah's Kehilangan Mestika (Lost Jewels; 1935) and Soewarsih Djojopuspito's Manusia Bebas (Free People; published in Dutch in 1940).